From route viewer to revenue engine
From route viewer to revenue engine
15-million-user outdoor platform brought to native mobile for the first time. Subscription conversion up 400% (registered users to paying subscribers). A native-grade app, built natively where it counts, starting with the map.
TL;DR
TL;DR
RouteYou had millions of users on the web, but no native app to grow their business.
November Five built RouteYou’s first native app, and keeps building it.
Our first app version converted around 1% of registered users to paying subscribers.
We added contextual payramps throughout the app to guide users to the paywall at the right moments, lifting conversion to 4%+ (4x).
Built on React Native + Expo for cross-platform speed, but native where it counts: the map and core navigation are hand-built natively, drawing on 18 years of native expertise across iOS, Android and wearables.
ABOUT CLIENT
ABOUT CLIENT
RouteYou is a Belgium-based platform for discovering, planning, and sharing outdoor routes, hosting over 10 million routes and serving 15 million users a year. Founded in 2005, it was acquired by Mediahuis in November 2023. Its model is hybrid: direct subscriptions plus partners, like Tourisme Vlaanderen, who fund premium features so their audiences can use them for free.
RouteYou is a Belgium-based platform for discovering, planning, and sharing outdoor routes, hosting over 10 million routes and serving 15 million users a year. Founded in 2005, it was acquired by Mediahuis in November 2023. Its model is hybrid: direct subscriptions plus partners, like Tourisme Vlaanderen, who fund premium features so their audiences can use them for free.
SERVICES
SERVICES
Strategy & discovery
Product/UX design (the Plan Route experience; general app design owned by RouteYou)
Mobile development (React Native + Expo with native components; iOS, Android & wearables)
Data & analytics
QA, observability & CI/CD
YEAR
YEAR
2023 - present
2023 - present
4x
4x
subscription conversion increase (registered users to paying)
subscription conversion increase (registered users to paying)
15M+
15M+
users on the platform annually
users on the platform annually
10M+
10M+
routes served to customers
routes served to customers
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We shifted our mindset: from paywall to payramp — creating clear value and motivation before asking users to subscribe.
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Sibran Lens
Sibran Lens
CEO, RouteYou
CEO, RouteYou
THE CHALLENGE
THE CHALLENGE
Millions of users on the web, but no app to grow them
Millions of users on the web, but no app to grow them
RouteYou reached 15 million yearly users through the web and a PWA, but had no native mobile app to grow their business. Subscriptions were the north star, but the traditional full-screen paywall wasn't converting enough. Ad revenue was under pressure, and the recent acquisition by Mediahuis raised the stakes, with ambitious subscription targets now in place. Our hypothesis: conversion would move if we positioned the paywall in context, at the moments where the value was already clear.
RouteYou reached 15 million yearly users through the web and a PWA, but had no native mobile app to grow their business. Subscriptions were the north star, but the traditional full-screen paywall wasn't converting enough. Ad revenue was under pressure, and the recent acquisition by Mediahuis raised the stakes, with ambitious subscription targets now in place. Our hypothesis: conversion would move if we positioned the paywall in context, at the moments where the value was already clear.
THE SOLUTION
THE SOLUTION
A native outdoor companion, built to convert
A native outdoor companion, built to convert
The partnership has run through several connected phases, and continues today. A 2023 POC, delivered as part of an RFP, proved our technology choices were the right ones and won the full product partnership. Through 2024, we built RouteYou's first native app on a new React Native + Expo codebase: route discovery, detail views, and turn-by-turn navigation, with the map and other critical parts built natively. In H2 2024, we designed and built the new Plan Route experience, preceded by an MX ("Memorable Experiences") sprint where we set the strategy. From the start, the app's monetisation centred on a full-screen paywall, and our first version converted around 1% of registered users to paying subscribers. From early 2025, we improved monetisation by focusing on where and how the paywall was positioned, adding payramps: contextual prompts woven through the app that surface premium features at real moments of value and guide users to the paywall far more effectively, lifting conversion to 4%+. This work was backed by funnel analytics, and we continue to develop and ship new features today.
The partnership has run through several connected phases, and continues today. A 2023 POC, delivered as part of an RFP, proved our technology choices were the right ones and won the full product partnership. Through 2024, we built RouteYou's first native app on a new React Native + Expo codebase: route discovery, detail views, and turn-by-turn navigation, with the map and other critical parts built natively. In H2 2024, we designed and built the new Plan Route experience, preceded by an MX ("Memorable Experiences") sprint where we set the strategy. From the start, the app's monetisation centred on a full-screen paywall, and our first version converted around 1% of registered users to paying subscribers. From early 2025, we improved monetisation by focusing on where and how the paywall was positioned, adding payramps: contextual prompts woven through the app that surface premium features at real moments of value and guide users to the paywall far more effectively, lifting conversion to 4%+. This work was backed by funnel analytics, and we continue to develop and ship new features today.
SUCCESS DRIVER 1
SUCCESS DRIVER 1
Prove the bet before you build the product
Prove the bet before you build the product
The engagement opened with a 2023 POC to prove our technology choices were the right ones, before committing to a full build. That discipline has held throughout: foundations, then Plan Route, then payramps, and the work continues. Each phase validates the direction before the next bet, shifting the relationship from shipping features to owning growth outcomes together.
The engagement opened with a 2023 POC to prove our technology choices were the right ones, before committing to a full build. That discipline has held throughout: foundations, then Plan Route, then payramps, and the work continues. Each phase validates the direction before the next bet, shifting the relationship from shipping features to owning growth outcomes together.
SUCCESS DRIVER 2
SUCCESS DRIVER 2
You can't grow a number you don't measure
You can't grow a number you don't measure
We helped RouteYou shift to a metric-driven way of working. We mapped every step beneath the subscription north star (install, login, home screen, payramp views, upgrades), measured first, then made improvements, then measured again to confirm whether each change genuinely added value. Decisions moved from opinion to evidence.
We helped RouteYou shift to a metric-driven way of working. We mapped every step beneath the subscription north star (install, login, home screen, payramp views, upgrades), measured first, then made improvements, then measured again to confirm whether each change genuinely added value. Decisions moved from opinion to evidence.
SUCCESS DRIVER 3
SUCCESS DRIVER 3
Build native where it counts
Build native where it counts
React Native + Expo gives efficient cross-platform delivery, but the parts that matter most (above all the map, the heart of viewing and navigating routes) are built natively. November Five can do this because we've built native iOS and Android apps for 18 years and keep those skills in-house.
React Native + Expo gives efficient cross-platform delivery, but the parts that matter most (above all the map, the heart of viewing and navigating routes) are built natively. November Five can do this because we've built native iOS and Android apps for 18 years and keep those skills in-house.
Get in touch
When your digital product is the business, the margin for error is different. So is the kind of partner you need.
If that's where you are, let's talk.
Get in touch
When your digital product is the business, the margin for error is different. So is the kind of partner you need.
If that's where you are, let's talk.
Get in touch